Car-door mechanism



June 24, 1930. w. E. WINE CAR noon MECHANISM Filed May 21, 1928 PatentedJune 24, 1930 PATENT GFFECE WILLIAM E. WINE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO CAR-DOORMECHANISM Application filed May 21, 1928. Serial No. 279,480.

My invention relates to railway car door mechamsm for retaming in closedposition a hinged door which is adapted to swing to open position underthe influence of gravity. The principal object of the invention is toprovide, in combination with suitable door mechanism, simple andefficient means for sustaining the door in a position for clampening thedischarge of lading, such as ballast and the like, from the car.

A primary feature of the invention resides in providing the doormechanism with a member carried by the cover plate overlying the outerface of the hook, the member being 1 arranged to engage a portion of thedoor, when the latter is released from the hook, to arrest openingmovement of the door and to sustain it in a position for dampening thedischarge of lading from the car.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing the car doorsupporting mechanism with a member formed so as to be connected to thefulcrum extension of the cover plate which overlies the hook, theopposite end of the member being cooperable with an apertured portion ofthe door arm to arrest opening movement of the door, when the latter hasbeen released from the hook, so as to sustain the door in a position forclampsuing the discharge of lading from the car.

Another feature of the invention resides in fashioning a member so thatit may be removably connected to portions of the car door mechanism tosustain the door in a position for dampening the discharge of ladingfrom the car.

Other and' more specific features of the invention residing inadvantageous forms and relations of parts will hereinafter appear and bepointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a car hopper and its coacting doorillustrating the invention applied thereto, the door being shown infully closed position.

Figure 2 is a view of corresponding parts of the car construction, thedoor being shown in a position for dampening the discharge of ladingfrom the car.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33, Figure 1. v Figure at isa slightly modified form of the invention, the door being maintained ina position similar to that shown in Figure 2, the adjacent parts of thehopper being omitted.

While the drawings illustrate a single hopper and the adjacent edge of acoacting door, it is to be understood that the construction ispreferably duplicated on the opposite side of the car and that the doorillustrated is but i one of the door sections which are disposed 011opposite sides of the car center sill and which are connected by aspreader or stiffening member, so as to swing as one.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the side sheet of the hopper and 2 thebottom or slope sheet thereof, the outer edges of these sheets form ingthe lading discharge opening. A metal door 3 is preferably employed forclosing the discharge opening of the hopper, the door being hingedlyconnected to the car body in a manner (not shown) such that it willswing to open position under the influence of gravity; The door spreaderor stiffening member,

indicated at 4, is formed with a plurality of flanges 5 and 6,respectively, the flange 5 being secured to the outer face of the doorby rivets 7, while the flange 6 projects outwardly therefrom. The end ofthe spreader which projects outwardly of the side edge of the doorconstitutes an arm, the procumbent flange of which is cooperable withthe portion of the door mechanism carried by the car body to support thedoor in closed position.

Pivotally mounted upon the'side sheet 1 of the hopper is a hook member 8having a plurality of ledges 9 and 10 which are respectively engageablewith the outer end of flange 5 of the door arm to support the door inpartially closed and in fully closed position.

Overlying the outer face of the hook is a cover plate 11 fashioned witha plurality of inwardly projecting bosses 12, 13 and 14, re spectively,which are apertured to receive attaching rivets 15. Washers or "ferrules16 as a pivotal support forthe hook 8 while the boss 12 affordsa'pivotal support for a rotatable cam 18 employed for locking the hookin door supporting position to prevent accidental opening movement ofthe door.

Projecting outwardly from tne cover plate 11 is an apertured extension19 which primarily serves as a fulcrum for a removable bar or lever (notshown) utilized for obtaining a mechanical advantage to force the doorfrom a position of partial closure to a position of final closure. Theextension 19 may be suitably reinforced by a rigi'difying web 20.Operatively interposed between the door and the hopper is a member 21which serves to sustain the door in an intermediate open position, sothat the discharge of lading such as ballast and the like from the car,may be dampened. This member 21 extends through the aperture formed inthe cover plate extension 19 and through the aperture 22 formed in theoutwardly projecting flange 6 of the door arm. The ends of the member 21are oppositely bent to form hook-shaped portions 23 and 2 respectively,the hooked end 23 serving to supportingly connect it to the cover plate11. When the door is in fully closed position the member 21 looselydepends through aperture 22 of the door arm as is clearly shown inFigure 1. After the hook 8 has been rotated from engagement with flange5 of the door arm, the door swings toward open position under theinfluence of gravity moving the member 21 outwardly until its hooked end24 engages a portion of the door arm bounding the aperture 22 thereofasillustrated in Figure 2. Thus, further opening movement of the door isprevented and it is sustainedin a position such that the flow of ladingfrom the car is dampened.

The member 21 is constructed so that it may be employed withoutnecessitating any substantial modification of'the type of door mechanismillustrated in the drawings, and it is also designed so that it may bereadily detached from the mechanism when it is desired to permit thedoor to swing entirely open rather than support it in an intermediateopen position. j

Upon referring to Figure 1, removal of member 21 is accomplished byraising it vertically upward until the lower outer end of the hookedportion 23 passes above the adj a cent portion of the cover plateextension 19. The hooked end 23 may then be moved inwardly toward thehopper permitting the ends thereof are so proportioned and ar-' ranged.with respect to the associated parts of the door mechanism, thataccidental displacement thereof is practically impossible.

In the modified form of the, invention illustrated in Figure 4, thedevice enabling dampening of the discharge of lading con sists of aU-shaped member 25, the opposite ends of which are secured to the hook 8by a pivot rivet 26. Connected to i the U-shaped member 25', by aplurality of links 27, is a headed member 28 preferably of T-shape. henthe door is in closed posi tion the device depends loosely within theaperture of the door arm in a manner similar to that of the memberillustrated in the other figures of the drawings. Upon release of thedoor from its supporting hook, it swings toward open position under theinfluence of gravity, being arrested? in its opening movement by theupper surface of the member'28 engaging'with the lower surface ofportions of the door arm adjacent its aperture. The proportions of themember 28 are such that it may be disconnected from the door arm so asto permit the door to swing from closed position to fully open position.This disconnection maybe accomplished, when the door is in fully closedposition, by rotating the member 28,through ninety degrees and thenmoving it vertically upward.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that a most etficient yetsimple and rugged means has been devised enabling the doors of railwaycars to be maintained or supported in positions for dampening thedischarge or flow of ballast and the like from railway care. As ballastis distributed along the right of way While the car is being movedthereover, it will be seen'that, by employing the device disclosed, theballast may be deposited over a much greaterarea than would be the casewhen the, door is permitted to assume an entirely open position.

I claim:

1. In door mechanism for railway cars, the combination with a hingedrdoor'movable to open position under the influence of gravity, of a hookmember pivotallymounted on the car-body, a cover plate member overlvingthe outer face of the hook member, said door being provided with an armhaving a plurality of flanges, one of whichis provided with'anapertureand the other of which is adapted to cooperate with the hook tomaintain the door in closed position, and means connected to one of saidmembers and having a portion projecting through said aperture when thedoor is in closed position, said means being adapted, upon the releaseof the hook from the door, to cooperatively engage the said aperturedportion of the door arm to arrest opening movement of the door andsustain it in a position for dampening the discharge of lading from thecar, the lower end of said means being so formed that when the door isin closed position the said means may be retraoted from operativeassociation with the door arm by being displaced from its normalposition.

2. In door mechanism for railways cars, the combination with a hingeddoor movable to open position under the influence of gravity, of a hookmember pivotally mounted on the car-body, a cover plate member overlyingthe outer face of the hook mem ber and provided with an outwardlyprojecting apertured extension, said door being provided with an armhaving a plurality of flanges, one of which is adapted to cooperate withthe hook to maintain the door in closed position, and means having ahook-shaped portion cooperable with the apertured extension of the coverplate, the opposite end of said means being adapted, upon release of thedoor from the hook, to engage said arm to arrest opening movement of thedoor and sustain the latter in a position for dampening the discharge oflading from the car.

3. In door mechanism for railway cars, the combination with a hingeddoor movable to open position under the influence of gravity, of a hookmember pivotally mounted on the carbody, a cover plate member overlyingthe outer face of the hook and provided with an outwardly projectingextension, said door being provided with an arm having a plurality offlanges, one of which is provided with an aperture and the other ofwhich is adapted to cooperate with the hook to maintain the door inclosed position, and means carried by the extension of the cover plateand normally depending through the aperture of the door arm, said meansbeing adapted, upon release of the door from the hook, to engage theapertured portion of the said door arm to arrest opening movement of thedoor and sustain it in a position for dampening the discharge of ladingfrom the car, the lower end of said means being so formed that when thedoor is in closed position the said means may be retracted fromoperative association with the door arm by being displaced from itsnormal position.

4. In door mechanism for railway cars, the combination with a hingeddoor movable to open position under the influence of gravity, of a hookmember pivotally mounted on the car-body, a cover plate member overlyingthe outer face of the hook member, said door being provided with an armadapted to cooperate with the hook to maintain the door in closedposition, and a member having its opposite ends bent to form hookportions, said hook portions being respectively adapted, upon release ofthe door from the hook, to cooperate with the cover plate member and thedoor arm to arrest opening movement of the door and sustain it in aposition for dampening the discharge of lading from the car.

5. In door mechanism for railway cars, the combination with a hingeddoor movable to open position under the influence of gravity, of a hookmember pivotally mounted on the car-body, a cover plate member overlyingthe outer face of the hook member and provided with an aperturedextension, said door being provided with an arm having a plurality offlanges, one of which is apertured and the other of which is adapted tocooperate with the hook to maintain the door in a closed position, and amember provided with hook-shaped ends, the latter being respectivelyadapted, upon release of the door from the hook, to cooperatively engagethe apertured portions of the cover plate and door arm to arrest openingmovement of the door and to sustain it in a position for dampening thedischarge of lading from the car.

6. In door mechanism for railways ears, the combination with a hingeddoor movable to open position under the influence of gravity, of a hookmember pivotally mounted on the car-body, a cover plate member overlyingthe outer face of the hook, said door being provided with an arm havinga plurality of flanges, one of which is apertured and the other of whichis adapted to cooperate with the hook to maintain the door in closedposition, and a member carried by the cover plate and having ahookshaped end which normally extends through the aperture of said doorarm, the hookshaped end of said member being ada ted, upon release ofthe door from the hoo to cooperate with the door arm to arrest openingmovement of the door and sustain it in a position for dampening thedischarge of lading from the car.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WVILLIAM E. WINE.

